Gravel washing machine



Feb. 27, 1934. E. T. BURNSIDE GRAVEL WASHING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet l Eye/iii] TBur/Mmle Feb. 27, 1934. V BURNSIDE 1,949,354

GRAVEL WASHING MACHINE Filed March 6, 1933 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 amen/MAW Edge/11']! TBurndzde Patented Feb. 27, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

This invention relates to machines for hydraulically separating materials of difierent densities and is an improvement over my Patent No. 1,871,583, granted August 16, 1932, for Gravel 5 washing machines.

One particular application of the invention is that of washing gravel and separating trash therefrom.

For the purpose of convenience the machine will be described as a gravel washing machine. It should be understood, however, that the scope of the invention is not limited by the terminology used in the description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, which are made a part hereof and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a partial plan view of the machine,

Figure 2, a section on line 22 of Figure 1,

Figure 3, a perspective of a detail showing the conduit for directing water upwardly into the washing machine, and

Figure 4, a vertical section of the machine.

In the drawings numeral 10 indicates the wall of a tank into which the material is conveyed by an inlet chute 11 having a curved bottom portion 12 which extends well into the tank. An oppositely curved plate 13 is positioned opposite the inlet for the gravel and the outlet portion 13 terminates in an outlet chute 14, the bottom of which is somewhat lower than the bottom of the inlet 11. The sides 15 of the outlet 13 converge toward the top so as to impart added velocity to the water flowing outwardly to the outlet chute. Positioned at one side of the tank 10 and secured thereto is a water inlet chamber 16 to which a water inlet pipe 1'7 is connected. The wall of the container 10 is provided with a longitudinal slit 18 through which water from the chamber 16 is projected into the tank. A flared water guide 20 is positioned with its smaller end about the slit 18 through which water from the chamber 16 is projected into the tank. A flared water guide 20 is positioned with its smaller end about the slit 18 and extends upwardly at an angle and forms a channel for directing water into the incoming stream of gravel. The upper wall 19 of the guide meets with and preferably is secured to the lower edge of the curved inlet plate 12. The lower side of the guide terminates approximately at the lower edge of a longitudinal partition 21 which extends down the sides of the inlet and outlet plates 12 and 13.

The chamber 10 is provided with a well 22 into which the clean gravel is deposited. The gravel is removed from this well by a conveyor 23 having a plurality of buckets 24 mounted on a chain or belt 25 which is trained about sprockets 26 and 27 one of which is the driving and the other an idle sprocket. The buckets 24 dip into and scoop up the cleaned gravel from the well 22 and 00 convey it out of the tank delivering it either upon the ground or into suitable receptacles not shown.

In operation gravel is delivered at an approximate constant rate through the inlet 11 through which it slides down over the inclined plate 12. 66 The gravel may be delivered into the tank by means of or along with a stream of water. As the particles descend they automatically spread out and by the time they reach the lower edge of the plate 12 they are sufficiently dispersed 70 to permit separation of the lighter from the heavier particles. It is at this point that the stream of water from the guide 20 strikes the gravel and carries out the lighter portions moving them along the outlet plate 13. By virtue of the narrowing structure of the outlet the water carrying the lighter gravel particles will increase in velocity until it reaches the edge of the tank 10 from which point the water carrying the washed out material will flow by gravity through the so spout 14.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of the invention, and therefore I do not limit myself to what 35 is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated by the appended claims.

Having thus iully described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letgo ters Patent, is:

l. A gravel washing machine comprising a tank having a water chamber secured to its outer wall, a water conduit for delivering water into said chamber, said wall having a longitudinal slot for delivering water from said chamber to the tank, means for guiding the water in an angular direction from said slot toward the interior of the tank and a chute for delivering gravel to be washed into said tank, means for guiding said incoming gravel to deliver it approximately into the path of the stream of water delivered into the tank, and an arcuate outlet having converging walls for increasing the velocity of the water containing the washings from the gravel as it passes toward the outlet from the tank, substantially as set forth.

2. A gravel cleaning machine comprising a tank, a conveyor comprising a series of scoops movable through the tank to carry the clean gravel out of the tank, a gravel inlet chute at one side of the tank, a curved inlet plate continuous with the bottom of said inlet chute extending down into the tank, a water inlet chamber positioned on the wall of the tank at the outside of the tank and beneath said inlet chute, the wall of the tank having a longitudinal slit for delivering water from said chamber into the tank, an upwardly extending water guide having one end positioned about said slit and its other end adjacent the lower end of said curved inlet plate, an outlet guide for the material washed out of said gravel, said outlet guide having converging side walls to impart added velocity to the outgoing water and material washed from the gravel, substantially as set forth.

3. A gravel washing machine comprising a tank, an inlet for water positioned adjacent the bottom of said tank, a chute for delivering gravel to be washed to said tank, a chute for conveying the foreign materials from said tank, a Water guide connected to said water inlet extending upwardly with its sides diverging, the top of saic guide being connected to said inlet chute and the bottom thereof spaced from said outlet chute to permit gravel to fall into said tank, said water guide being so positioned that water is directed in a straight line from the water inlet, through the incoming stream of gravel to the outlet to remove foreign material from the gravel, substantially as set forth.

4. A gravel washing machine comprising a tank, an inlet for water positioned adjacent the bottom of said tank, an inlet chute having a curved inner end for delivering gravel to be washed to said tank, an outlet chute for conveying the washings from said gravel from said tank, the inner end of said outlet chute being curved and spaced from the inner end of said inlet chute, a water conduit connected to said water inlet extending upwardly with the top thereof connected to the inner end of said inlet chute and the bottom spaced from the inner end of said outlet chute to permit washed gravel to fall into said tank, said water conduit being so positioned as to direct Water in a straight path from the water inlet to outlet chute through the falling gravel to remove foreign matter, substantially as set forth.

EDGEHILL T. BURNSIDE. 

